A/N - not Danara but a drabble that that I couldn't get out of my head. This follows the one-shot in the last chapter, so if you haven't read that one, you may want to start there. xoxo - tmtcltb

x

"The Opposite of Love Isn't Hate, It's Indifference" - Elie Wiesel

x

Sasha stepped through the door to sick bay and was met by the unexpected sight of Doc Rios sitting at his desk rifling through a stack of paperwork. Frowning, she inquired, "Did Lieutenant Green come to see you? Captain wants him to join us in the wardroom once he's cleared."

Despite Green's protests that he was fine, the blood seeping from the bottom of his vest indicated otherwise and Captain Slattery had sent him off to get his wound examined. An order, it now appeared, that Green may have ignored.

"I can pass along the message," Rios replied. Catching the confusion on Sasha's face, Rios nodded his head towards one of the small cabins off the main medical area. "Commander Green is bandaging Lieutenant Green up now."

Eyeing the door behind Rios, Sasha couldn't help but speculate what was happening back there. She knew that Kara Green was well liked and respected by both the crew and military command but, despite being acquainted for more than a year, Sasha rarely interacted with the woman. Danny and Kara, understandably, tended to spend their free time with their son while, at least recently, Sasha devoted her time away from the Nathan James to working her connections regarding the seeds. Unlike Kara, Sasha knew Danny fairly well, having served with him for almost eighteen months. But even with that foundation, she could only guess at how he would deal with having his wife back on the Nathan James.

And whether Slattery made the right call in allowing it.

Message delivered, Sasha was turning to leave when the door to the small cabin opened, Kara entering the room first. To a casual observer, she would have appeared as composed as ever, but Sasha detected a slight redness around the commander's eyes. Danny's face was similarly unreadable, but his hand lingered on the small of his wife's back as he followed her through the doorway. Catching sight of Sasha, Danny's posture shifted, wincing slightly as he straightened. He nodded. "Ma'am."

Sasha didn't waste any time. "Captain wants to meet us in the wardroom at 0530. You too, Commander Green." Both glanced at their watches. "How are you feeling, Green?"

It was Kara who answered. "Surface wound but he's got a couple bruised ribs. Probably from hitting the water at a bad angle. How are you, Agent Cooper? Any aches and pains?"

"I'm fine," Sasha replied. She might be a little sore - that jump was nothing to sneer at and she, unlike Danny and Wolf, did not have extensive underwater training - but Sasha had no intention of admitting it. Her gaze returned to Danny. "Are you off-duty then?"

That would, of course, be extremely unwelcome news given their current predicament.

"I'm willing to clear you with the usual proviso," Rios replied when three sets of eyes swung in his direction.

"Don't worry, Doc, I'll take it easy. No more cliff diving." The serious look in Danny's eyes, which were on Kara rather than Rios, bellied his jovial tone.

"And come back if..."

"If anything changes," Danny interrupted. "Got it, Doc. Thanks."

The two minute walk to the wardroom passed quickly as Kara updated them on the status of the ship and the injured. Several times Danny's hand rose to touch her back or arm, the gesture apparently so ingrained that neither seemed to notice when it happened. Their ease with each other made Sasha vaguely uncomfortable, reminding her of a time when she felt that way. Safe without being suffocated. Loved without being possessed. Desired for who she was, flaws and all...

Sasha pushed the thought away. Not because of James - they had both started this relationship mourning the loss of another - but because there was no point in dwelling upon something that was simply not meant to be. Tom Chandler had left sixteen months ago, walking out of her life without a word. He had made his choice, moved on with his life, and she was damn well going to do the same.

Upon entering the wardroom, Sasha headed towards James, who was sitting at the table, two cups of steaming mint tea set before him.

"Mmmmm." Settling into the chair next to him, Sasha inhaled, enjoying every second of the precious commodity, ready to focus on something other than the Greens.

But, of course, the first thing that James did was nod his head in the couple's direction. "Do you think it was a mistake? Letting her join the crew?"

Looking to the other side of the wardroom, Sasha took a moment to consider the pair, who were now speaking with Lieutenants Burk and Granderson. The way their bodies oriented towards each other, the shared glances, the half smiles. Sasha would have known that they were a couple within moments of meeting them, without either having to say a single word. Despite having similar thoughts only minutes earlier, Sasha found herself irritated by James' comment. "Commander Green is an excellent TAO. Everything that she did today was above reproach."

Raising an eyebrow at her sharp tone, James took a sip of his own tea. "It wasn't her qualifications that I was questioning."

Sasha shrugged, playing with her cup for a moment, modulating her voice. "They just need to follow the rules. We've managed without issue."

And they had. For almost six months now Sasha and James had worked side-by-side, their personal relationship frequently taking a back-seat to the search for the seeds.

"Maybe." James didn't sound convinced. "But I've never been tempted to blow an operation to keep you out of the line of fire. Rules or no rules."

The words came as no surprise to Sasha. Her relationship with James was many things - enjoyable, affectionate, passionate - and she often looked forward to the day when they could be together without the threat of impending death hanging over them. But not once had Sasha worried about James choosing her over the mission, or felt the urge to protect him at the expense of her team.

Now, though, looking at the Greens, Sasha wondered whether that was a good thing after all.